SO……… I was not prepared to do so much writing for Exam 1. The content itself was not super hard, but it required a lot of critical thinking and synthesizing all the concepts we’ve learned. Now that I know how Dr. Harman and Foster’s exams are laid out, I think ill now how to study and look forward to redeeming myself. Probably the hardest test i’ve ever taken, but I get it. You both want us to like actually learn and stuff.

This is now the fourth week since school started. So far, the pressure that I’ve put on myself to excel has been getting to me. Irregular sleep patterns coupled with strange eating patterns could do so much to a person.
That’s why, I guess it’s no surprise that I’ve taken the past weekend to go on a major destressing spree. I cleaned my room, which was starting to look like a dry cleaners, and baked to my hearts content.
Although I spent an entire two days baking, I only managed to make two products. Cream puffs and Monkey Bread. I made four batches of cream puffs with two different types of filling, one an orange cream cheese and the other a vanilla custard. It was actually very difficult because the dough had to be cooked on the stove for around 30 minutes for each batch while stirring constantly. I felt as though my right arm became buffer than my left.
Well, I managed to catch a photo of my baked creations before they were eaten, though the monkey bread was definitely picked at.

The first test was a good assessment to where I am in the class and
what to expect in future examinations. Also, it proved to us that we
need to be well-rounded in the subjects and prepared for anything.
Most students, myself included, utilized most of the time prior to the
test solidifying the formulas of electron energy, quantum energy
transitions, etc. However, the test had little to none of that
material and was mainly all from the first week or so of class
lectures. It took many of us by surprise and only those that had
remembered those lectures or happened to glance over those notes were
able to answer the questions confidently. I participated in a study
group with Amanda, Jonathan, and Joyce and we met at Starbucks to try
to assess our current knowledge and lack thereof in preparation for
what would be on the test. We found this more effective I believe as
it gave us all the opportunity to check each other and find out what
information we were missing. I believe it helped but didn’t cover all
the necessary topics. Next test I believe making a detailed outline of
the topics would help studying because it would give a visual
checklist of what to cover. Guess we’ll see how that works! :)

The first test was a good assessment to where I am in the class and
what to expect in future examinations. Also, it proved to us that we
need to be well-rounded in the subjects and prepared for anything.
Most students, myself included, utilized most of the time prior to the
test solidifying the formulas of electron energy, quantum energy
transitions, etc. However, the test had little to none of that
material and was mainly all from the first week or so of class
lectures. It took many of us by surprise and only those that had
remembered those lectures or happened to glance over those notes were
able to answer the questions confidently. I participated in a study
group with Amanda, Jonathan, and Joyce and we met at Starbucks to try
to assess our current knowledge and lack thereof in preparation for
what would be on the test. We found this more effective I believe as
it gave us all the opportunity to check each other and find out what
information we were missing. I believe it helped but didn’t cover all
the necessary topics. Next test I believe making a detailed outline of
the topics would help studying because it would give a visual
checklist of what to cover. Guess we’ll see how that works! :)

“When humans gaze up at the night sky, they may view the fuzzy streak of the Milky Way and contemplate their place in the universe.

When dung beetles see the Milky Way, their thoughts turn to keeping their food source away from other insects.

Scientists have found that these inch-long creatures use the glowing edge of the galaxy to guide them as they roll their balls of dung across the African landscape. The report, published online Thursday by the journal Current Biology, provides the first documentation of animals using the Milky Way for navigation.”

In preparation for the first exam I went with to study groups with my classmates consistently. Almost everyday for a week we, meaning Amanda, Catherine, Jonathan, and sometimes Shannon and Daniel, studied together. At one time, the study group went from around 7 in the morning on a Saturday to around 8 at night. We covered quite a bit and continued to memorize equations and practice mathematical concepts… of which few were on the test.

To prepare for this exam, i went over all of my notes, worked on the practice problems for chemistry, and reviewed the pathogen project. Most of the material on the test were things that i thought would be there, but with that being said, i think there are ways that i could prepare more thoroughly for the next exam. I could study with other people next time and i could also organize my study material better.